Antique Pendant with Rubies and Diamonds in Rhodium-Plated Silver

This pendant is a sparkling flower made of diamonds, accented with vibrant rubies. More than two carats of old-cut diamonds, along with six rubies from Burma and Thailand, are set in rhodium-plated silver. At the center is a larger diamond, from which elegant curves and petals radiate symmetrically outward. At the top, a loop set with additional diamonds completes the pendant design. The flower is crafted from silver against a background of reddish gold. This craftsmanship is typical of antique jewellery from the late 19th and even the early 20th centuries. Silver was used because the goal was to create a bright, shimmering white setting for the diamonds, but white gold was not yet available, and not every goldsmith was able to work with platinum. The gold backing also prevented the jewellery from staining light-colored fabrics. In later years, however, people often found it bothersome that the silver darkened and tended to tarnish. For this reason, many pieces of jewellery from this period were coated with a shiny layer of rhodium in subsequent eras. This is also the case here: the pendant has since shone in a cool, uniform white. The silver and the gold backing are no longer visible; only when viewed from the side can one still sense that the pendant is constructed from two different metals layered on top of one another. This electroplated layer of rhodium can no longer be removed. However, it does not tarnish either. The pendant was created around the turn of the century. We discovered it, just as it is, in the Rhineland. We had the chain custom-made.

Estimate:£3,351.33

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